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Record of Proceedings

Las Vegas Rescue Training on Cribbing Techniques - June 23, 2026

Public MeetingsTuesday, June 23, 2026
BodyLas Vegas, Nevada
SessionPublic Meetings
DateTuesday, June 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 6:50
Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

Okay, today we're going to talk about cribbing and what are our uses for cribbing.

0:07

We use cribbing and cribbing blocks to rescue a survivor who may be trapped under debris.

0:13

Before we attempt a rescue, first we're gonna check our victim or our survivor to make sure that they are still alive.

0:20

So Dan's gonna come around, he's gonna check the airway of our of our survivor.

0:25

And the way we do that is we open the airway insert, is we open their way twice, and if the patient's still not breathing, we move on.

0:34

Our goal is to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

0:37

Now, if we open the airway or the patient is conscious, then Dan's gonna communicate with that survivor that we're gonna work on removing them from the debris.

0:47

It is very labor intensive and is a little time intensive to uh actually build the crib block blocks and maintain safety to remove our survivor.

0:59

And the way we do that is if you see the way the crippling blocks are placed, they are in the the square.

1:08

We uh almost like building with Lincoln logs, you put two one direction and then two in the opposite direction, and we build those up.

1:17

One thing we don't we do not stack on top of each other.

1:19

If we stack multiple pieces on top of each other, at that point, then they become unstable.

1:25

That's the reason we only do one in each direction.

1:29

It gives you more stability.

1:30

The reason we use wood is wood will give you a warning if it's gonna fail, it's gonna crack, you're gonna hear some noise.

1:37

Whereas if you use metal or steel, that just fails with no warning.

1:43

Also, the wood cribbing blocks will hold six thousand pounds on each corner or 24,000 per crib box.

1:51

And you see how they're built here.

1:52

We have one on each side, and that's gonna be to stabise the debris as we lift it.

2:00

In the center, we have a pivot point.

2:02

This is where we're gonna use our crowbars that can find in the garages, you can find crowbars in various areas.

2:13

If you don't have a crowbar, you can use a two by fours or other means of uh something that can actually hold that weight to lift it.

2:23

Now, to reiterate what we've already covered, we use the cribbing blocks out of wood because it gives a warning.

2:29

You hear a cracking before it fails, or a steel or metal will now give you a warning.

2:33

Each cribbing block can hold up to 24,000 pounds on each side, and as we lift, we crib from each side to keep everything stable because once we lift, the last thing we want is for that debris to come back down onto our survivor.

2:52

It is very labor intensive, it is uh very time intensive, so it's not something that happens fast, it does take time to do this to maintain the safety of the survivor as well as your safety.

3:06

Remember, insert your safety is number one priority.

3:08

If you're not safe, then you don't attempt the rescue.

3:12

So we have we started our crib blocks, and now when we go to lift, our leverage point comes from the center here.

3:20

Usually we use two people to lift, but today we're gonna demonstrate using one, and as he lifts, we're gonna build the crib box on each side to give us the stability that we need.

3:56

Okay, and as as you can see, as we lift, we may not have total uh we may have some voids areas.

4:04

We can use wedges that can fill that void.

4:06

That way, when he lowers, you see there's no movement at all on our debris.

4:11

And at that point, once the person who's uh maintaining communication with our survivor is able to see that they're clear from that debris and they're able to be slid out at that time.

4:24

That's when this operation would stop, and now everybody moves over to the survivor to help extricate the survivor from underneath of the debris.

4:36

When that happens, your your team leader who controls building the cribbing blocks and make sure everybody's safe.

4:43

Now the person at the head of the survivor now makes all the calls because they're maintaining uh cervical spine on that patient.

4:53

They're also communicating with that patient, so they're at that point of time, they take over the calls on moving that patient.

5:01

In most cases, we'll move that patient six inches at a time.

5:06

And you would need four to six people to move to adequately move the patient out from under the debris.

5:14

What things you need to watch out for as you're pulling out the survivor is that you don't hit your your crippling blocks because that's your stability.

5:21

You hit that, that debris come back down to that survivor.

5:24

So you need to make sure everything's clear prior to moving that victim.

5:27

What we're gonna demonstrate now is removal of our survivor.

5:31

In most cases, you would need three, four, or five people to move this patient.

5:36

But for our demonstration, there's gonna be three of us.

5:38

Dan's gonna maintain the airway and hold the cervical spine on the patient.

5:42

He'll make the calls to slide it six inches at a time.

5:46

And we'll demonstrate that now.

5:48

And there's some other things I want to narrate as we're moving this survivor.

5:53

Alright, moving towards the head on three.

5:56

One, two, three.

5:59

Readjust, moving towards the head again.

6:02

One, two, three.

6:04

Now you see I'm helping at the feet, but one thing you don't want to do is reach under with your hands under the your debris pile because if that shifts and falls, that can cause an injury to you.

6:16

So once you get past that point, you you don't no longer touch that patient.

6:21

Now you can assist.

6:29

If that would shift, you don't want it to come down on him.

6:31

So one more time we'll we'll demonstrate using the two by four to push with the heel of the foot.

6:37

Again, towards the head on three.

6:39

One, two, three.

6:42

So we can we can still assist, but we're not reaching under that debris because if you reach under that debris and that would shift, it could be detrimental to your safety.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
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Summary of Proceedings

Las Vegas City Rescue Training: Cribbing Demonstration - June 23, 2026

This session was a hands-on training demonstration on the use of wooden cribbing blocks for rescuing survivors trapped under debris. The training emphasized safety, technique, and the importance of using materials that provide warning before failure.

Discussion Items

  • The trainer explained the process of building cribbing blocks in a Lincoln-log style, using two blocks in one direction and two in the opposite direction to ensure stability. Wood was chosen because it cracks audibly before failing, unlike metal or steel.
  • Each cribbing block can hold 6,000 pounds per corner, totaling 24,000 pounds per crib box. The demonstration used a single person to lift debris with a crowbar while building crib boxes on each side for stability.
  • The rescue operation requires four to six people to move a survivor six inches at a time. The person maintaining the survivor’s airway and cervical spine makes the calls. Safety of the rescuer is paramount; rescuers must not reach under the debris pile.

Key Outcomes

  • The demonstration successfully showed the lift and cribbing process, with wedges used to fill voids to prevent movement when lowering.
  • The survivor was extricated using a team of three (for demonstration purposes), moving six inches per count, with assistance using two-by-fours to push without reaching under debris.
  • The training reinforced that cribbing is labor and time intensive, and that rescuer safety is the top priority.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, today we're going to talk about cribbing and what are our uses for cribbing. We use cribbing and cribbing blocks to rescue a survivor who may be trapped under debris. Before we attempt a rescue, first we're gonna check our victim or our survivor to make sure that they are still alive. So Dan's gonna come around, he's gonna check the airway of our of our survivor. And the way we do that is we open the airway insert, is we open their way twice, and if the patient's still not breathing, we move on. Our goal is to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Now, if we open the airway or the patient is conscious, then Dan's gonna communicate with that survivor that we're gonna work on removing them from the debris. It is very labor intensive and is a little time intensive to uh actually build the crib block blocks and maintain safety to remove our survivor. And the way we do that is if you see the way the crippling blocks are placed, they are in the the square. We uh almost like building with Lincoln logs, you put two one direction and then two in the opposite direction, and we build those up. One thing we don't we do not stack on top of each other. If we stack multiple pieces on top of each other, at that point, then they become unstable. That's the reason we only do one in each direction. It gives you more stability. The reason we use wood is wood will give you a warning if it's gonna fail, it's gonna crack, you're gonna hear some noise. Whereas if you use metal or steel, that just fails with no warning. Also, the wood cribbing blocks will hold six thousand pounds on each corner or 24,000 per crib box. And you see how they're built here. We have one on each side, and that's gonna be to stabise the debris as we lift it. In the center, we have a pivot point. This is where we're gonna use our crowbars that can find in the garages, you can find crowbars in various areas. If you don't have a crowbar, you can use a two by fours or other means of uh something that can actually hold that weight to lift it. Now, to reiterate what we've already covered, we use the cribbing blocks out of wood because it gives a warning. You hear a cracking before it fails, or a steel or metal will now give you a warning. Each cribbing block can hold up to 24,000 pounds on each side, and as we lift, we crib from each side to keep everything stable because once we lift, the last thing we want is for that debris to come back down onto our survivor. It is very labor intensive, it is uh very time intensive, so it's not something that happens fast, it does take time to do this to maintain the safety of the survivor as well as your safety. Remember, insert your safety is number one priority. If you're not safe, then you don't attempt the rescue. So we have we started our crib blocks, and now when we go to lift, our leverage point comes from the center here. Usually we use two people to lift, but today we're gonna demonstrate using one, and as he lifts, we're gonna build the crib box on each side to give us the stability that we need. Okay, and as as you can see, as we lift, we may not have total uh we may have some voids areas. We can use wedges that can fill that void. That way, when he lowers, you see there's no movement at all on our debris. And at that point, once the person who's uh maintaining communication with our survivor is able to see that they're clear from that debris and they're able to be slid out at that time. That's when this operation would stop, and now everybody moves over to the survivor to help extricate the survivor from underneath of the debris. When that happens, your your team leader who controls building the cribbing blocks and make sure everybody's safe. Now the person at the head of the survivor now makes all the calls because they're maintaining uh cervical spine on that patient. They're also communicating with that patient, so they're at that point of time, they take over the calls on moving that patient. In most cases, we'll move that patient six inches at a time. And you would need four to six people to move to adequately move the patient out from under the debris. What things you need to watch out for as you're pulling out the survivor is that you don't hit your your crippling blocks because that's your stability. You hit that, that debris come back down to that survivor. So you need to make sure everything's clear prior to moving that victim. What we're gonna demonstrate now is removal of our survivor. In most cases, you would need three, four, or five people to move this patient. But for our demonstration, there's gonna be three of us. Dan's gonna maintain the airway and hold the cervical spine on the patient. He'll make the calls to slide it six inches at a time. And we'll demonstrate that now. And there's some other things I want to narrate as we're moving this survivor.

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